Ukraine update

Drilling Deeper: West slams Russian exercises, glossing over NATO's war games

NATO has expressed concern over snap military drills being staged by Russia. There has been widespread speculation in Western media that Moscow could intervene in Ukraine - despite Russia insisting the exercises were pre-planned and nothing to do with the situation across the border.

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Yanukovich denies ouster, says 'ashamed & guilty' for not preventing chaos

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich pledges to fight for Ukraine. He addressed a press conference in southern Russia, appearing in public for the first time since he fled Kiev amid bloody riots.

RT,

26 January, 2013

Dozens of international reporters have flocked to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don after the fugitive Ukrainian president announced he would hold a press conference there.

Before anyone was allowed to ask questions, Yanukovich decided to set the record straight, saying he considers himself the only legitimate president of Ukraine.

“No one has ousted me,” he told reporters. “I had to leave Ukraine because of a direct threat to my life and the lives of my family.”

It is the current Ukrainian parliament that is “not legitimate,” the Ukrainian leader said, adding that the people who took power in Kiev are “spreading the propaganda of violence.”

“As you know, the power in Ukraine has been seized by nationalist fascist-like fellows representing the absolute minority of Ukrainians. The only existing way out of the situation is fulfilling all that was stipulated in the [February 21] agreement between the president of Ukraine and the opposition with participation of the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland, and a representative of the Russian Federation,” Yanukovich said.

He described the situation in Ukraine as “complete lawlessness,” “terror” and “chaos”, saying that the politicians, including MPs, have been threatened and are facing threats of violence. It has nothing to do with the unity government that was negotiated with the opposition, he added.

According to Yanukovich, the early Ukrainian elections announced for May 25 are also completely “illegitimate” and he will not take part in them.

Despite that, the ousted leader said he will “remain in politics,” “keep on fighting for the future of Ukraine” and return to his home country as soon as he receives “international safety guarantees.”

‘Irresponsible politics of the West’

Yanukovich left Ukraine’s capital Kiev amid the worst surge of violence in the country’s post-Soviet history, which left dozens of people dead and hundreds injured. The pro-Maidan opposition immediately capitalized on his absence from the city, dominating the parliament, which then voted to strip the president of his powers and announced early elections. It also placed the full blame for the tragic events in central Kiev on Yanukovich, making it a nearly indisputable allegation in local and Western media.

Yanukovich gave his own clear assessment of the events for the first time in weeks, drawing a very different picture. The violence and deaths in Ukraine are the “result of the irresponsible politics of the West, which has encouraged Maidan,” Yanukovich said.

US and other Western countries’ representatives “must take full responsibility” for the fact that the agreement between the president and the opposition leaders was not honored, he said.

There remains, however, a chance for the country to change its course and not to slip into chaos, Yanukovich said.

‘I lacked strength, I am sorry’

When asked if he feels ashamed of any of his own actions, Yanukovich replied that he feels both ashamed and sorry for “not having been able to stabilize the situations and stop the mayhem” in Ukraine.

“I want to apologize to the Ukrainian people for what has happened in Ukraine and that I lacked strength to maintain stability,” he said.

Yanukovich also apologized to the Ukrainian riot police, Berkut, for having to “suffer” while doing their duty of maintaining peace and order. Police officers were “burned and poured over by petrol bombs,” were “fired at and killed by rifles” but still stood their ground, he said.

The Ukrainian leader then said he had not given any order for police to fire live rounds until the rioters started using firearms, putting the officers’ lives under threat.

Yanukovich refused to comment on the Ukrainian parliament’s intention to try him in the International Criminal Court, saying that an independent investigation has to be carried out first. However, he stressed that “the scenario of bloodshed… was drafted not in Ukraine.”

‘Crimea part of Ukraine, Russian presence a rumor’

Even as Yanukovich was speaking, the situation in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking Autonomous Republic of Crimea was increasingly getting out of the capital’s control. The Crimean parliament was forming a new regional government while local "self-defense squads" started actively patrolling strategic sites to prevent provocations from Ukrainian radical groups.

Yanukovich said he understands the concerns of Crimeans, who want to “protect their homes and families” from “bandits.”

However, he then urged the people of Crimea not to let any bloodshed or civil war happen. Crimea must remain a part of Ukraine while maintaining broad autonomy, Yanukovich said.

The fugitive president ruled out any possibility that he will ask Russia for military help to resolve the situation there. Also, there is no confirmed information about Russia’s alleged military presence in the region, Yanukovich said.

“I do not have any such official information,” he said. “I did not have it back then [in Ukraine], and there isn’t any now. This all has been on the level of some rumors spread by somebody,” he told journalists.

Yanukovich made it to Russia from Crimea thanks to “patriotically-minded officers,” who helped to “save his life.” He has not yet met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but they have already talked over the phone.

When asked why he chose to leave Ukraine for Rostov-on-Don, Yanukovich said that he has “an old friend there,” who can provide him with a “temporary safe haven.”

‘Russia cannot abandon Ukraine’

Yanukovich received a lot of questions on Russia’s role and possible actions in the Ukrainian crisis.

While saying “it is not correct” to tell Moscow what to do, Yanukovich said he believes “Russia cannot abandon Ukraine to its fate and should use all possible means to prevent chaos and terror in its neighboring country.”

With that, Yanukovich made it clear he was “categorically against any intervention into Ukraine and breach of its territorial integrity.”

“The truth will prevail,” Yanukovich said in an emotional conclusion to his comments to journalists, urging the politicians that have seized power in Kiev to “leave” for the sake of the Ukrainian people.

So far, there has been no indication that the new Ukrainian authorities are considering returning to a dialogue with what they consider an overthrown rival. A Kiev court on Friday issued an order for Yanukovich’s arrest, while the Ukrainian parliament (the Verkhovna Rada) earlier voted in favor of trying him at the ICC in The Hague for alleged “crimes against humanity during the recent peaceful protests.”

Ukraine turmoil LIVE UPDATES

The Ukrainian parliament in Kiev has formed a new government while the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, home to a Russian majority, has announced plans to hold a referendum on its future amid ongoing turmoil following last week’s violence in Kiev.

Friday, February 28

20:46 GMT:

The United Nations Security Council is holding private consultations on the crisis in Ukraine, after the Ukrainian interim government asked for a session on Friday. On his way into the meeting, Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said he has “no idea” what could come out of the session. Ukrainian envoy Yuriy Sergeyev has told the journalist ahead of the meeting that he is hopeful the SC will “support Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

20:22 GMT:

Simferopol’s airport is closed for unspecified reasons, a senior duty official at the airport told Itar-Tass. The airport is scheduled to reopen at 17:00 GMT Saturday. Another official at the airport told Itar-Tass the airspace over the Crimea was closed for flights until 19:00 GMT Saturday.

"The airport is closed and all the departures have been cancelled," the source told the agency.

20:03 GMT:

Ukraine’s national telecommunications operator "Ukrtelecom" has lost the ability to provide connection between the Crimean peninsula and the rest of Ukraine because of damage to fiber optic cable, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

"As a result of actions of unknown people, the company’s fiber optic cables were damaged. As a consequence, telephone and internet services on the Crimea peninsula have almost completely been suspended,” the company’s statement says.

18:48 GMT:

US lawmakers have said Friday that they were drafting legislation to authorize financial and technical assistance for the country. Senator Chris Murphy, chairman of a senate subcommittee on European Affairs, said the package would be part of “a broader, coordinated program” with the European Union, International Monetary Fund and other international partners, Reuters reports.

To become law, the package needs to pass the Senate and the House of Representatives, before being signed off by the president.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on events in Ukraine and US foreign policy to Kiev on March 6.

18:25 GMT:

Russia’s Consulate General in Simferopol, Crimea, will start issuing Russian passports for officers of Ukraine’s recently disbanded Berkut special security force, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow says.

“The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Simferopol was instructed to promptly take all necessary measures to start issuing Russian passports to troops of the Berkut unit,” the ministry said in a message on its Facebook page.

18:24 GMT:

Kiev has initiated an official extradition procedure for ousted President Viktor Yanukovich, RIA Novosti reports, citing the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.

18:10 GMT:

Crimea’s Belbek Airport is operating as usual and its work has not been interrupted, Interfax reports from Sevastopol, citing an informed source. Earlier reports claimed that a group of armed people “seized” the airport located near Sevastopol. However, the camouflaged men, apparently belonging to local “self-defense squads,” only occupied a runway briefly and then left, Interfax reported.

17:23 GMT:

The United Nations Security Council is to hold consultations to discuss Ukraine in three hours, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s representative said, Itar-Tass reported.

“The UN Security Council will hold a private meeting at 2000 GMT, which will be followed by a session where the situation in Ukraine will be discussed,” Martin Nesirky said.

UN first deputy chief Jan Eliasson will take part in the meeting and inform the Security Council on the latest developments in Ukraine, he said.

Nesirky provided no information on what exactly the “private meeting” would be and whether all 15 member states of the Security Council will participate in it.

Earlier in the day the Lithuanian mission at the UN, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the Security Council in February, confirmed that they had received Ukraine’s request to hold a meeting on the country. The Ukrainian parliament decided to submit the request in connection with events in Crimea.

17:18 GMT:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the Ukrainian crisis in telephone calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, the Kremlin press service reports.

The officials underlined the necessity to prevent further escalation of violence and to normalize the situation as soon as possible.

16:05 GMT:

Crimea’s parliament has approved a new Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic

The western media has been painting Russia's military exercises as a threat to 'the soveriegn integrity of Ukraine'

Russian 'invasion' of Crimea fuels fear of Ukraine conflict

White House issues warning to Kremlin, as Ukrainian official claims 2000 Russian troops have arrived in peninsula

the Guardian,

28 February, 2014

Russia and the west are on a collision course over Crimea after Moscow was accused of orchestrating a "military invasion and occupation" of the peninsula, as groups of apparently pro-Russian armed men seized control of two airports. Russian troop movements were reported across the territory.

One Ukrainian official claimed late on Friday evening that 2000 Russian troops had arrived in Crimea in military aircraft during the course of the day, in 13 Russian aircraft. Acting president Oleksandr Turchynov addressed the nation on Friday night, accusing Russia of carrying out a similar strategy to 2008, when it effectively annexed two Georgian territories, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"They are trying to provoke a military conflict and are creating a scenario identical to the Abkhaz one, when having provoked a conflict, they annexed territory," said Turchynov in an address to the nation.

Turchynov, installed following the removal of the pro-Moscow president Victor Yanukovych over the weekend, appealed to Vladimir Putin to halt the incursion: "I am personally addressing President Putin to stop the provocation and call back the military from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and work exclusively within the framework of the signed agreements," he said.


Pro-Russian Cossacks rally outside the Crimean building in Simferopol. Ukraine has accused Russia of invading the peninsula. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

On Friday evening the main Crimean air hub at Simferopol was still guarded by unidentified, uniformed men. Late it was announced that the airport had been closed and incoming flights diverted.

"I see what has happened as a military invasion and occupation in violation of all international treaties and norms," said the new Ukrainian interior minister, Arsen Avakov earlier in the day. "This is a direct provocation aimed at armed bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state."

The White House warned on Friday that any Russian military intervention in Ukraine would be a "grave mistake", while the UN security council took up the issue at a session on Friday evening. The sudden escalation of the crisis amounts to the most dangerous standoff in the former Soviet Union since the Russia-Georgia war six years ago.


Armed men patrol at the airport in Simferopol, Crimea. Photograph: David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters

As alarm grew during the day, Russia dismissed efforts by the new Ukrainian leadership to discuss the future of Crimea, a territory the size of Belgium which, despite a large Russian majority, has been part of Ukraine since independence two decades ago. Since 1991, Russia has maintained its own fleet at Sevastopol, a force that dwarfs Ukraine's own units in Crimea. The Russian foreign ministry said troop movements were "required to protect deployment places of the Black Sea fleet in Ukraine" and said the manoeuvres were fully in line with bilateral accords.

There was still uncertainty as to the precise identity of the gunmen holding the parliament and the airports. They claimed to be part of an informal self-defence group that has sprung up in response to the revolution in Kiev. But experts said they were hardly an impromptu militia.

"This is not a ragtag force," said Brigadier Ben Barry, a specialist on land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "When you see a new militia, they will have a jumble-sale look. This lot are uniformly dressed and equipped and seem competent and efficient."


Viktor Yanukovych gives a news conference in Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russia about 600 miles from Moscow. Photograph: Pavel Golovkin/AP


Michael McFaul, until last week the US ambassador to Russia, wrote on Twitter: "If gunmen in Crimea are not acting on Kremlin's behalf, it would calming for Russian government to say so. Silence fuels uncertainty, instability."

Ukraine's national telephone operator said on Friday evening it had lost landline contact with Crimea.

The crisis was sparked by the bloody uprising in Kiev against the pro-Russian leadership that culminated in the dramatic flight of President Viktor Yanukovych last weekend. On Friday he resurfaced in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, denouncing the "bandit coup" in Kiev, and reiterating that he remained the legitimate president of Ukraine. In a floundering performance full of slip-ups and confused answers, the ousted president called on Russia to act decisively, saying he was "surprised" by Vladimir Putin's restraint.

He also said military action was unacceptable and the territorial integrity of Ukraine should not be violated. Yanukovych, who said he would not return to Ukraine until it was safe to do so, said presidential elections scheduled for 25 May were illegitimate.


Russian nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky addresses a crowd in Sevastopol. Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters


There was an intense bout of international diplomacy over the increased tension, with David Cameron and German chancellor Angela Merkel speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin. London said Putin and Cameron agreed to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, while a Kremlin readout of the call merely said the leaders had agreed "there should be no further escalation of violence".

Political leaders moved fast in Moscow with the parliament rapidlyintroducing a law that would make it easier for new territories to be added to Russia's existing borders, a move that seemed directly linked to events in Crimea. The bill would allow for regions to join Russia by referendum if its host country does not have a "legitimate government". "If as the result of a referendum, Crimea appeals to Russia with a desire to join us, we should have the legal mechanisms to answer," said MP Elena Mizulina.

Russian nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky flew to Crimea and addressed cheering crowds in Sevastopol, promising them financial and psychological support against the new government in Kiev.

Another law under discussion would ease the requirements for Russian-speaking Ukrainians to receive Russian citizenship, and late on Friday, the Russian foreign ministry said it had ordered its consulate in Simferopol to begin "urgently" issuing passports to members of the Berkut riot police. The toughest regiments of police in Ukraine, Berkut regiments were used by Yanukovych against peaceful protesters. In the western city of Lviv, Berkut officers got down on their knees and begged forgiveness for the actions of their colleagues, but in Crimea, the returning troops have been greeted as heroes.

In Kiev, a new cabinet was voted in by the parliament on Thursday and needs to get to work to ease the appalling state of the economy, with Ukraine's currency weakening and the country facing a serious risk of default. The new government has been recognised as legitimate by most regions of Ukraine outside Crimea, but still has work to do to integrate law-enforcement bodies and restart the functioning of the state.

Ukraine's armed forces are dwarfed by Russia's – but would be no pushover if the Kremlin did decide to go for broke. "It is a nightmare for everyone," said Igor Sutyagin, a Russian military expert. "The entry of Russian troops would be a deep humiliation for Ukraine … It would be a second Chechnya."

Luke Harding of the Guardian has been the leading liberal attack dog for anti-Russian and anti- Putin propaganda - Crimean coup is payback by Putin for Ukraine's revolution

Western media treats the new government as 'legitimate'. Is the US now supporting revolutions and coup d'etats round the world?